Humidifier



y A. s. NICHOLS HUMIDIFIER Filed m 14, 1923 2" SheetS-Sfieet. 1'

Patented July 5 19 27.

UNITED STATES men s. NICHOLS, or new 1033,11. in

Application and May 14,

This invention relates in eneral to hu-' midifying apparatus for rying rooms where moisture is required, and while the invention has perhaps more ready and valuable application in connection with humidifiers delivering superheated steam or high temperature steam to such'drying roong, it will be manifest that from certain aspects the invention has valuable application also to humidifiers employing steam of lower temperature.

Where the steam available and used for the drying of lumber and other materials is of high temperature ,or superheated the moisture it provides in the atmosphere of the drying room or chamber is not available for active use to prevent case hardening of the lumber. At high temperature the steam is relatively dry and becomes more moist as the temperature is reduced. It is a principal object of the present invention to reduce the temperature of the steam to permit-the use of its moisture content and to, at the same time, introduce into it additional moisture, thereby reducing, by the same token, the amount of steam required. I accomplish this by introducing into the steam a quantity of cold water in amount determined by the requirments in the dryin chamber ltself.

This cold water is preferab y introduced into Can the steam in such fashion that it immediately becomes atomized and this prior to vaporization. This is desirable to sensitive action.

Another important object of my invention is the provision of an apparatus for accomplishing this result, wherein the control will be automatic and in which effective means will be provided against the delivery of water, in the absence of steam, whereby flooding is prevented.

Another important object of the invention is the accomplishment of these results without the use of an appreciable number of moving parts and without the necessity for providing delicate or intricate mechanism or other devices likely to require frequent repair or readjustment.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, which taken in connection with the accompanying drawings discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of an apparatus embodying my present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

192a' Serial in. 638,944.

Referring to the drawings, reference character 12 indicates the main steam supply,

which, for the purpose of this invention, may be considered a source of steam. This conduit is: connected in suitable fashion to a cross conduit 11 with which also communicate two steam outlet lines '10. This conduit 11 communicates through a union 13, with a vertical conduit 14, in turn connected by a valve 15 to a conduit 16 discharging into the v 'to a steam driven air compressor 22 supply.- ing air under pressure to pipes 23, 24 and 25 to the thermostat, hygrost-a-t and regulator "for compressor. A pipe 26 delivers this air under pressure upon required occasions to a diaphragm control 27 of avalve 28 in the line 11 and between steam inlet 12 and-outlets 10. Air under pressure is delivered from hygrostat through a pipe 29 to a control 31 for valve 15. The-valve 15 controlspipe 16 as has been stated and the valve 27 controls pipes 32, which are the heating pipes in the drying room. Thus far the operation of the thermostat and the hygrostat is to control respectively, through the valve 27 and the valve 31, the humidity in the, drying room..

Reference character 41 represents a cold water supply which communicates with a connection 42 and through a pipe 43 with a valve 44 to pipe 46, which, through pipe 47, enters a union or injector member 48 in the line 16. A hand controlled valve 45 is or may be interposed in this line. The valve 44 is controlled by a valve control 49, which in turn is connected with an air line pipe 51 to a T-union 52 in line 29. Thus the hygrostat supplies pressure simultaneously to the valve controls 31 and 49 operating the two valves 15 and 44 in unison.

From the foregoing it will be ap arent that the water may be entirely out 0 when all steam is cut off by the valve 15 in turn controlled by the hygrostat. Because the diaphragm 31 of steam valve 15 and the diaphragm 49 of water valve 44 are connected to one hygrostat, flooding of the apparatus or drying chamber or bath is prevented. It is pointed outthat a single diaphragm control could be readily employed for both the water and steam but of necessity this would entail, it is thought, a more complicated mechanical construction without producing better or difierent results.

It is thought that the invention and many of its atendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in'the form, construction and arrangement of the parts Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof,

I claim: I

1. In an apparatus for supplying moisture to a drying chamber, the combinationof means for introducing steam into said chamber, and means for controlling the temperature of the steam through the moisture present in the chamber in relation to the temperature of the air-of the chamber and without raising materially the temperature of the room.

2. In an apparatus for supplying moisture to a drying chamber, the combination of a source of superheated steam, and means introducing water into said superheated steam to reduce. its temperature, and hygrostatic control devices for automatically governing the admission of said water.

3. In an apparatus for supplying moisture to a drying chamber, the combination of a source of superheated steam, andmeans introducing -Water into said superheated steam to reduce its temperature, and a hygrostat controlled by the moisture condition in the chamber for automatically controlling the admission of said water.

4. In an apparatus for supplying moisture to a drying chamber, the combination of means for supplying steam into the chamber, means for supplyin water in atomized condition into said cham r for reducing the temperature in the chamber, and a hygrostatic control for said steam, and means for preventing delivery of water when said steam is out oil by said'hygrostatic control.

6. In an apparatus for-supplying moisture to a drying chamber, the combination of means for introducing steam to said chamber, and including a delivery conduit, together with mea s for introclucing water angularly to said ciiduit whereby to permit the water to be 'omized by the moving steam. v o

AARON s. NICHOLS. 

